Friday, 20 May 2011

All About Parkinson's Disease

As Parkinson's disease really affects movement and motor functions, that is the main place to look for signs and symptoms of the disease. It really affects the motor function of the body, and there are four motor symptoms that are considered the most important ones to look for in relation to this disease. Firstly, tremor, is the most popular of all symptoms as well as the most common. Usually when the body is at rest, the limbs will begin to tremor and disappears when the person moves on their own or sleeps. It usually affects the distal part of the limb and appears in just one place, like the arm or leg, spreading more later. Usually it is about four to six hertz per second. This is usually always present for patients and for the small percent that don't have it, they acquire it later upon disease onset.

Another motor that is important is Bradykinesia, which means slowness of movement, and has to do with slowing the motions of the patient. It is seen in the early stages of the disease and can be noticed when people are trying to do daily things like sew or write or dress themselves but they cannot seem to do it at a normal speed or pace. Of all the symptoms this is the one that interferes most with peoples' lives at the early stages of the disease because it hinders their ability to get things done and to perform ordinary and everyday instances. Furthermore, it is not an equally applied event either, as sometimes the patient can't walk at all but can ride a bicycle, as it affects various parts of the bodies in different ways and at different times.

Rigidity is the increased muscle tone which causes stiffness and resistance to limb movement. The patient might experience some joint pain and aches and be unable to move their body or their muscles easily as it will all feel stuck and fastened together. This might cause problems for them when they try to go for a walk or to pick up something or if they sit in one place for too long they will always have this rigid sense of being fastened down and trapped and aching in their bodies.

Other symptoms include things like slowed speed and a difficulty to work the motor functions and say things with ease. Speech becomes slurred and slow and it is harder to get thoughts out verbally. Also, depression might follow as well as apathy and a disdain for life at having to live it so difficultly, like someone trapped in a body that is working against them. Drowsiness might occur as well as urinary incontinence.

There is no known cause for the disease, although some people think that it occurs when people are exposed to certain pesticides. Treatments today help manage the motor functioning systems by using dopamine and levodopa, but as the disease progress the drugs fail to work. There are other kinds of medications available, as well, as well as therapies and rehab.